Brussels You thought you knew it... Foreword from the Brussels-Capital Region
Brussels will never cease to surprise you. A national and European capital, it is now giving itself the means to achieve its ambitions and entering fully into the modern world with an ambitious International Development Plan. Brussels is a major city on a human scale, officially bilingual but in reality polyglot. The Capital of Europe is a crossroads of nationalities, a model of welcome and diversity, and a byword for dynamism and quality. Its open socio-economic environment, the high skill levels of its population, the quality of its infrastructures, the wide range of properties available, its quality of life and its cultural richness have made Brussels one of
the most pleasant cities to live and work in. Brussels is changing to meet the challenges of a globalised city. Brussels has just set itself an International Development Plan, which timetables the numerous actions to allow Brussels to better satisfy the desires of its inhabitants and visitors. Alongside the creation of new housing, businesses and offices, the International Development Plan provides for the creation of major infrastructures to help increase the appeal of Brussels still further: a huge conference centre, an expansive shopping centre, a large concert hall (15,000 seats), a multi-function stadium with 60,000 seats, etc. Strategic locations such as the European
Quarter, the Heysel Plateau and the area around Gare du Midi, the gateway to the city, will be renovated in order to make them highly attractive poles of development. The International Development Plan involves a major drive based around City Marketing, in order to strengthen the promotion of Brussels abroad so that the world is aware of all the resources that Brussels has to offer. So, come and feel the pulse of tomorrow’s Europe for yourself. You will discover a warm city offering open arms to the world, a city of creativity where culture is found as much on the streets as in prestigious museums. A global city where everyone is at home.
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